Vending-machine.



T. & W. LBBMANN..

VBN DING MACHINE.

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2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IN VE/vrons:

WIST/V555 Es'.

@milf/af ATT'y UNITED STATES BJTENT OFFICE'.

THEODOR LEEMANN AND WALTER LEHMANN, 0F ZURICH, SWITZERLAND.

vENDING-MACHINE.

To all whom 'it may conca-rn:

Be it known that we, THEoDoR LEEMANN and WALTER LEEMANN, citizens of theRepublic of Switzerland, residing at Zurich, in the Canton of Zurich,Republic of Switzerland, (whose post-office address is Brsenstrasse 10,Zurich,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the aart to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to let-ters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in coin controlled automaticmachines and has particular reference te machines for delivering postcards or like flat articles.

According to the present invention the post cards or like articles arecarried by carriers which latter are supported by relatively movablesupports that are relatively displaced by the coin control mechanismwhereby the carriers are released one by one to deliver the post cards.Preferably the carriers are pivoted to one support and their free endsrest upon another support which is adapted to be intermittently movedrelatively to the first named support Whereby the carriers are releasedand drop one by one thereby delivering the post cards by gravity.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood reference ismade to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example aconstruction embodying this invention.

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the apparatus having aplurality of delivering mechanisms. Fig. 2 is a lateral elevation of theapparatus, several parts being represented in section. Fig. 3 shows asection on line A B in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 shows a perspective view ofthe apparatus, the side of the frame being taken away.

In the figures the numeral 2 indicates carriers or flaps on which thepost cards 1 are laid. These flaps are pivotally mounted on the oneside, in two stationary rails 4 by means of gudgeons 3, and their freeends rest on the flanges 5 of L shaped slide rails 6. The lowerunflanged ends of these rails are provided with toothed racks in each ofwhich engages a pinion 7 (Fig. 4). By

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 8, 1911.

Patented May 21, 1912.

serial No. 631,953.

turning these pinions the slide rails can be displaced, during whichmovement 'they are guided by a traverse 9 and rollers 8. The pinions 7are secured firmly to a shaft 10, which is rotatably mounted in the sideplates 4. On one side, the shaft 10 carries a spiral spring 11, which isattached to the shaft on the one hand and to the spring housing on theother; and on the opposite side the said shaft carries a firmly secured`ratchet wheel 12, between which and an adjusting ring 13 a loose pinion14 is arranged. To this pinion is attached a pawl 15 which engages withthe ratchet wheel 12. The spiral spring 11 is wound in such a directionthat when'it is able to uncoil it causes the pinion 14-and, by means ofthe pawl 15, the ratchet wheel 12 and the shaft 10 as well-to rotate inthe direction indicated by the arrow. The pinion 14 gears with thepinion 15 which, in common with a worm wheel 16, is secured on a shaft17 (Figs. 1 to 3). The worm wheel 16 meshes with a worm 18, on the shaftof which is secured an air brake wheel 19. The worm wheel also carries astop pin 20 which, in the position shown, makes contact with a stop disk21, mounted firmly on a shaft 22 and carries a two-arm lever 23. The oneside of this lever is provided with a coin receptacle 24, while theother side is loaded, by means of a slidable counterweight 25, so thatthe lever remains in a horizontal position when the coin receptacle isempty. Adjacent the coin receptacle is the mouth of a coin channel 26,having a recess 27 and a channel 28 for sifting out coins that are toosmall.

29 is a chute to receive the post cards 1 that fall from the flaps 2;and 30 is a receiver with two lateral guides 31. In the front wall 32 ofthe casing of the machine is situated a window for exhibiting a specimen33 of the article offered for sale.

Vhen the apparatus is emptied, the whole of t-he carriers or flapsassume the position shown in the lower portion of Fig. 2, and the sliderails 6 take up, their highest position. In order to recharge theapparatus with a fresh supply of articles f or sale, all the flaps areturned up together, whereupon the slide rails (5 are pressed down byhand into their lowest or initial position, and the flaps are allowed todrop again, being then held firmly by the flanges in the raisedposition. In the said downward movement of the slide rails 6, thetoothed racks thereon turn the pinion 7, together with the shaft 10, inthe direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow (Fig. 4), thusloading the spiral spring 11. The shaft 10 allows itself to be turned inthis direction with ease, because during rotation iny this direction theratchet wheel 12 slips past the pawl 15. On the other hand, when therotation is in the direction of the arrow, said rotation being caused bythe action of the coiled-up spiral spring 11, the ratchet wheel engageswith the pawl, and transmits movement to ythe pinion 14 and the train ofgearing in connection with same, as far as the stop pin 20. Hencerotation in this direction can only occur when the stop pin is released.

When a coin is supplied to the coin receptacle 24 through the coinchannel 26, the additional weight causes the lever 23 to turn, and withit the stop disk 21, into the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig.4, where it lets the coin fall and is returned to its original positionby the counterweight 25. The worm wheel 16 has now, under the influenceof the spiral spring 11, revolved on the shaft 10, thus turning the worm18, and with this the air brake wheel 19, which latter retards therotation of the worm wheel 14. rlhe ratios are chosen in such a mannerthat when the w'orm wheel has completed one revolution, the lever 23 isreturned to its raised position, the stop disk 21 again holds the stoppin 20 fast, and the entire mechanism is thus prevented from turning anyfarther. The pinions 7 which also revolve with the shaft 10 push theslide rails 6 upward until their lateral flanges release the lowermostcarrier or flap, which then falls downward and thus allows the post cardto slide onto the receiver.

Asit is indicated in the gures, a plurality of mechanisms are lodged ina common frame. In place of the spring work a. weight work might beused. The describedl apparatus is also suitable for envelops, postagestamps, chocolate, etc.

What we claim is 1. An automatic machine for delivering post cards andlike articles, comprising a frame, a plurality of article carriers, eachof said carriers having one of its ends hinged to said frame, railssupporting the free ends of the carriers, and mea-ns for raising saidrails to release said article carriers.

2. An automatic machine comprising a frame, a plurality of articlecarriers, each of said carriers having one of its ends hinged to saidframe, sliding rails forming acute angles with the article carriers,iianges on the rails and supporting the free ends of the carriers,guiding rollers on the sides of the frame for the rails, and means forraising said rails to release said article carriers.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THEODOR LEEMANN. WALTER LEEMANN.

Witnesses HERMANN HUBER, AUGUST PRIEGG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe y Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

